By Karen Rempel One of the things I have missed the most during the NYC Pause is going to the Village Vanguard to hear live jazz. After a time of retreat and adjustment, the Vanguard shook off its muffling slumber and resurged on June 13 with a most welcome performance by the Billy Hart Quartet.
-
-
West Village Exile
By Spencer Wolff On July 27, 2009 a group of some sixty refugees, armed with rocks and makeshift weapons, assaulted the UN refugee bureau (UNHCR) in Rabat, Morocco. Windows were shattered, guards and police injured, security cameras smashed to the ground. Eventually the Moroccan army was forced to intervene. Those of us in the building
-
Horton Foote: American Master Playwright
By Robert Heide The first time I met Horton Foote was at a Christmas party in Greenwich Village, at an old-time apartment building on Washington Square North, hosted annually by actress and Berghof Studio teacher Rochelle Oliver. Attendees included Uta Hagen and Matthew Broderick, who both lived in apartments upstairs. Horton Foote came with his
-
Movie Review: The Report
By Roger Paradiso Adam Driver plays Daniel Jones, a staffer for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) chaired by Senator Diane Feinstein, played by Annette Benning. She is asked to create a report on the FBI and CIA’s Detention and Interrogation program created during President Bush’s War on Terror. The Report is a reckoning
-
The Jefferson Market Library Presents: Anne Bronte: A Woman of Courage
By Miriam Canfield In celebration of the Bicentennial Birthday of Anne Brontë, The New York Public Library’s Jefferson Market branch will present a staged reading highlighting her life and writings on January 24 and 25. Anne Bronte: A Woman of Courage, is sponsored by Frank Collerius, Library Manager of The Jefferson Market Library, in collaboration
-
A Parisian Preschool Expands in the Village
La Petite Ecole will double its classes in September 2020, much to the delight of Francophone and Francophile families. To book a school tour: call (646) 504 9694, or visit www.lpeny.com
-
Style on the Street: Keeping Winter Bright
By Dusty Berke New Yorkers carry the cold in stride, and with holiday festivities to get to, you can be sure to see plenty of color and style on the street. Here are a host of Villagers keeping the winter bright. Left to right: White Chocolate: Jeanne is rockin’ her winter white pumps and jeans
-
Westbeth Winter Exhibit Heat Zone
Winter is a cold, grey, often depressing season to endure. Westbeth’s Winter Exhibit was a hot, eclectic mix of visual arts media that heated you up with pleasurable aesthetic experiences in four rooms of painting, sculpture, photography and multi-media art! As an open group show of Westbeth visual artists, it presented diverse works that were
-
Want More in the Roaring Twenties?
By Stanley Wlodyka Perhaps start by acknowledging that abundance is present in the most unexpected ways. Unexpected because it’s disguised as something else, something unwanted and sometimes discarded. But even that is by design: it sits there watching the multitudes pass by, waiting for the one who recognizes its hidden value. 55 Bethune Street was
-
My Date with Jimi Hendrix and Mrs. Maisel
By Gy Mirano Wondering around one of my favorite New York neighborhoods, the West Village, I found the Music Inn. There’s nothing like getting lost in the historic cinematic streets, and being welcomed by period facades where classic New York jazz clubs, trendy boutiques, surviving mom and pop stores, and some of the most fun
-
Waning
By George Held I raise the blind at dawn, ten degrees Out there, and I see the half moon Low in the cobalt southwest. The day waxing and the moon waning, Like my life, like my arrhythmic heart. How many more cycles to fullness Will I see that old moon achieve, That lifetime
-
Make 2020 the Year to Cure AIDS
By Kambiz Shekdar, Ph.D., and Drew Davis Thank you to all those who joined Research Foundation to Cure AIDS (RFTCA) at the Free From AIDS Gala on World AIDS Day 2019. We put forward an unforgettable night for supporters of a cure and we’d be honored if you, too, would team up with us. If
-
“ACT UP! Fight Back! Fight AIDS!”
By Stanley Wlodyka Last month marked the 30th anniversary of an unprecedented event, one that saw worlds collide. Organized by AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP), approximately 4,500 people gathered outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral on 5th Avenue one Sunday in December of 1989. They were there to protest the Catholic Church’s response to the
-
Mount Sinai’s ER Is a War Zone
By Penny Mintz Not too long ago, a nurse came into the emergency room of Beth Israel Hospital as a patient seeking emergency care. This nurse is employed in the ER of the main Mount Sinai hospital on East 98th Street. When asked why she had not gone to the Mount Sinai ER she said,
-
West Villager Sally Sommer Retires from Dance Program
By Karen Rempel Friends, colleagues, students, and family of Sally Sommer gathered at Casa La Femme on Charles Street yesterday to celebrate West Village resident Sally Sommer’s retirement from Florida State University’s Arts in NYC program. Casa La Femme’s Egyptian décor and delicious passed hors d’oeuvres created the perfect ambience for a celebration with professional
-
Survivors of the Lost Village: James Drougas
By Roger Paradiso James Drougas always loved books. “When I was 12 years old, I used to visit a small book shop on Main Street in Patchogue, Long Island and decided early I wanted to make a career of it.” “I am trying to be a space that offers unknown treasures at irresistible prices that
-
Johnathan Blake’s Explosive Debut as Bandleader at the Village Vanguard
By Karen Rempel I first saw Johnathan Blake at the Village Vanguard in October 2015, where he was playing drums with Ravi Coltrane’s quartet. I was completely blown away by the intensity of his performance, and by the unique percussion elements he added. His dominance as a drummer was evident even to the neophyte I
-
The Irishman
By Roger Paradiso Martin Scorsese has made four great goodfellas films in Mean Streets, Goodfellas, Casino and now The Irishman. In a way they work together as a series. Is this Scorsese’s final film on his mean streets full of goodfellas? The Irishman, is a contemplative film about goodfellas and their families and the world
-
Johnathan Blake’s Explosive Debut as Bandleader at the Village Vanguard
By Karen Rempel I first saw Johnathan Blake at the Village Vanguard in October 2015, where he was playing drums with Ravi Coltrane’s quartet. I was completely blown away by the intensity of his performance, and by the unique percussion elements he added. His dominance as a drummer was evident even to the neophyte I
-
Maggie B’s Quick Clicks
IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD Be prepared to expect the unexpected. All photos by Maggie Berkvist. From still lifes To street scenes— be they mysterious… enterprising… incongruous… or reminiscent of a Hopper painting.
-
Dusty Berke Joins the Ranks of Award-Winning Artists at the Salmagundi Club’s Village Preservation Exhibit
Dusty Berke received an award for her arresting photograph Playing Statues on Bleecker on October 16th at the prestigious Salmagundi Club. The photograph of West Village model and photojournalist Karen Rempel originally appeared in the “Karen’s Quirky Style” column in the May 2019 issue of WestView News. A combination of elements contribute to the photo’s
-
November Means Thanksgiving in the West Village
By Gordon Hughes I sit on an outside bench at Cafe Panino Mucho Gusto in a heavy shirt, and there’s a chill in the air. As I enjoy my coffee on these fall mornings, I contemplate the things I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving. Being able to live here in the West Village tops my list.
-
Classical Music in Review
By Hannah Reimann 9/11 Memorial Concert September 11, 2019 Schiller Institute NYC Chorus St. Veronica Creative Cultural Center The Schiller Institute NYC Chorus, its leaders and community strive to elevate the culture of the United States “by engaging the population in the performance of great Classical music.” They do this by including both professional and
-
Piano Lessons: The Life and Art of German Diez
By Hannah Reimann A Documentary A Benefit Night at Steinway Hall September 12, 2019 German Diez is perhaps the most memorable late piano maestro of The Greenwich House Music School. Teacher to innumerable students there since 1950, from children to famous virtuosos, he is beloved and revered. Diez taught at Bard College, SUNY Purchase, The
-
Survivors of the Lost Village
By Roger Paradiso Cinema Village is a jewel of a theater in Greenwich Village that takes you back to the golden age of cinema, dating back to 1963. With the recent closing of the Paris Theater in midtown, the CV is the longest running art house in Manhattan. As you walk east on 12th Street
-
A Colonial American Romance
The True Saga of an American Beauty Who Captured a Baron’s Heart A destitute young lady is swept off her feet by a swashbuckling Baron…the stuff that fairytales and Hollywood movies are made of. But this timeless tale of Lady Frankland (Agnes Surriage) and Sir Harry Frankland is made up of more than fairydust and
-
Father Graeme Napier: A Life Ordained by Culture and Spirit
By Hannah Reimann “You ought to be written up by the Times,” suggested publisher George Capsis to Graeme Napier, the Rector of St. John’s Anglican Church on Waverly Place and West 11th Street, after he experienced one of many concerts Father Graeme produces in his church. In the Spring of 2018, Joe Turco, an American
-
Halloween in the Village. Oh Boy.
By Gordon Hughes It’s October and you begin to see a remarkable change in the West Village. It’s not just the weather. Yes, the trees begin to change color and hardy mums replace begonias on the stoops of the brownstones. But in addition, an amazing transformation begins around the third week of October; co-ops, brownstones,
-
Style on the Street: Sunday Best
By Karen Rempel | Fashion Editor This month, as we recover from the heady whirl of New York Fashion Week, let’s take a look at people who dress in their Sunday Best to be seen on the streets in The Village (whether it’s Sunday or not!). 1. Classic style: Jean Boudreaux of New Roads, Louisiana,
-
The Normalization of Gay
From Oppression to Legalization By Robert Heide In New York the “World Pride” month of June, 2019, was given over to celebrate gay life worldwide and the concept of freedom to be who we are—gay, straight, bisexual, and the trans categories of transvestite, transsexual, and transgender; and queer. Each day in June, walking out of
-
Health, Beauty & Wellness
By Hannah Reimann Harvest Home, Saturday, October 26th—12 to 3 pm at St. John’s in the Village’s, St. Benedict’s Courtyard, featuring samples of Farm to People’s excellent produce and other delicious food that can be included in their delivered boxes to you. There will be music, pumpkin carving for the kids and other surprises for
-
Cornelia Street Café Returns from Exile
With a star-studded performance on September 15 in the Meatpacking District. Cornelia Street Café comes home to the village! Come join in for the fun and music: September 15, 3-7 PM Gansevoort Plaza, Gansevoort Street & Little West 12th Street
-
A Night Out with Noel Coward, Steve Ross and KT Sullivan
By Robert Heide The great New York singer Steve Ross—dubbed the “Crown Prince of New York Cabaret”—with the dynamic, amazing KT Sullivan—the artistic director of the Mabel Mercer Foundation—appeared in the past month of August in a show devised and written by Barry Day entitled Love, Noel—The Songs and Letters of Noel Coward. The program
-
Smalls Jazz Club—25 Years of Bringing Up the Jazzcats
By Karen Rempel Smalls Jazz Club, in the cellar at 183 West 10th Street, makes an incalculable contribution to jazz music every day, incubating hundreds of talented young jazzcats since its inception in 1994. Owner and jazz pianist Spike Wilner tells us a bit about the history of the club as Smalls celebrates surviving and
-
Magic Time! Art & Ephemera of the Caffe Cino
By Robert Heide Following on the heels of my last article entitled “The Legendary Caffe Cino Designated a NYC Landmark” for the August 2019 edition of WestView News along came an invite to attend a dual exhibition at the ClampArt Gallery at 247 West 29th Street. Opening night was August 15 and the exhibit of
-
The Creative Genius of Diana Broussard
By Karen Rempel | Fashion Editor Diana Broussard is a creative force of nature. She’s a true pioneer in fashion design, from Calvin Klein’s eponymous underwear for women to the latest in wearable tech—exclusive, sleek handbags with customizable video displays. She has worked with some of the biggest names in the business, including Dior and
-
Millenary Moche Nights at the Hendricks
By Gy Mirano When Peruvian artist Julio Granados was last in Lima he received a call from New York confirming he had been selected to paint a mural in the heart of Manhattan. The honor had been a long time coming and well-deserved. It is a joy to view his work—which is lyrical, lighthearted, and
-
View From My 91st Floor Window
By Karin Batten In 2001 I had just moved to the Westbeth artist housing community, in the West Village, two months prior to the 9/11 attack. On the day of 9/11 the primaries for mayor were going on. I had just changed my district in New York City so I was re-registering to vote. I
